Men's Golf Returns to Top of the Ivy, Jarmas Wins Individual Title

Claiming its 24th Ivy League title and first since 2006, the Princeton men's golf team emerged from a tightly packed top of the leaderboard following Saturday's second round to edge Yale by five shots at Caves Valley in Maryland.

Princeton entered Sunday in fourth place, three shots behind leader Yale, but the Tigers saved their best performance of the three days for the final round. Shooting 8-over as a team, Princeton did seven shots better than any other of the seven Ivy squads to climb to the top.

"It was absolutely a collective effort. The character and heart the guys showed all weekend long, it was astounding," Will Green, the J. Stuart Francis '74 head coach of Princeton men's golf, said. "We got important rounds from everyone when we needed them."

Princeton's final total of 883 shots was the lowest for an Ivy champion since 2009.

Four of the five Princeton players either set or matched their low rounds of the tournament in the final. Greg Jarmas, who shot a 71 and 72 over the first two days, posted a 70 Sunday to overcome a one-shot margin that Penn's Max Marsico held on him entering the final round. Jarmas finished three shots in front of Marsico and another Quaker, P.J. Fielding, to end the weekend at +3 and become Princeton's first individual Ivy champion since Creighton Page '05 in 2005.

Jarmas, a junior, will be able to try and defend his title next season, something last done in 2012 when Dartmouth's Peter Williamson, who won as a junior in 2011, won again last season. Jarmas is Princeton's 13th Ivy individual men's golf champion.

Jarmas stuck to par more than any other Tiger Sunday, finishing with two birdies and two bogeys. Through 13 holes, Jarmas was 1-over for the day before making birdie on 14 and 18 and bogey on 16 to end the day at even par.

But Jarmas wasn't the only Tiger honored this weekend. Quinn Prchal won the league's Rookie of the Year, an award started along with Ivy Player of the Year in 2009. Prchal is the first Tiger to win either award, which are voted on by the league's coaches. Yale's Sam Bernstein won Player of the Year honors.

Jarmas and Prchal were both recognized as first-team All-Ivy League as the duo made up Princeton's contingent on the two All-Ivy teams.

With the win, Princeton has gained the Ivy League's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals May 16-18. There are six tournaments, hosted by Louisiana State, Florida State, Ohio State, Arkansas, Washington State and Arizona State. Of the six regionals, three will host 14 teams and three will host 13. The top five from each regional will advance to the NCAA Championship at the Capital City Club in Atlanta May 28-June 2.

The Tigers will find out their NCAA destination on May 6 at 9 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.

Princeton's results are below, and results from all teams are available via Golfstat here.